“There is an individual who is misleading the voters of the 8th Congressional district by insinuating he is somehow related to my late husband,” she said. “He is not.”

In the past, candidate Stump has defended the use of the name, saying it’s been in the family for generations.

“My dad had Alzheimer’s disease and one of the only names he remembered was my name and his,” the candidate said. “My dad didn’t want me to be known as Junior, so that’s why they gave me the middle name of Robert.”

The candidate’s mother released a statement defending his use of the name.

“My late husband was also named Bob Stump, as was my husband’s father,” Jane Stump said in a statement tweeted by her son. “My husband and I had every right to name our son after him. This name has been in our family since at least the 19th-century.”

“Let’s be clear: Christopher Robert Stump is not related to my late husband or our family in any way, shape or form,” she said. “I would ask that he publicly acknowledge that he is not related to our family and stop this charade. The voters deserve to know the truth.”

There are 12 candidates running for Franks’ seat. The primaries are on Feb. 27.